Why study history? Introduction to history of the

Transcript:Why study history? Introduction to history of the:
Why study history? Introduction to history of the media Why study history? “History is Bunk.”—Henry Ford Actually, he said “history is more or less bunk.” But…Henry Ford is history. Why study history? The American idea was a break from the past. On the other hand, Americans are interested in history: Movies and TV. Black Powder Groups. Medieval groups. Battle re-enactments. Genealogy. Why study history? Historians may present boring history. But history is a story. As Andy Griffith explained. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QGe9kfqddQ) History as a tool Political groups are particularly interested in history. History is produced as evidence of how we should be have today. For example, American conservatives interpret the “Founding Fathers” as supporting their claims to small government and a religious base. American liberals (and most professional historians) dispute this interpretation. Why study history? In this sense, history is not so different from a story you’d tell a friend: About people; Who did something; And the consequences. A story What if you tell a friend this? “Boy, you’ll never believe what happend in speech class today. The professor was talking about communicating different family values, when one of the students stood up and accused him of blasphemy. “He kicked the professor in the butt! The class cheered, but someone called campus police anyway. “Now there’s an all-campus meeting called on, I guess, greater classroom security.” A story and history? A story you tell your friend has a real positive aspect for historical study: you are a primary source. Primary means the person telling the story was right there, or very close to the event in time or place. Primary sources Let’s say you wanted to study the history of the university during the time your great grandfather was a student. What primary sources would you use? Primary sources Interview your grandfather. Look at minutes of campus meetings. Check course catalogs. Look at newspapers, university and commercial. Find diaries, personal letters. Check out photo archives. Primary sources What else might help you to understand the time your grandfather lived in? Magazine articles and books about the time and the university. Interview with a history professor. Wikipedia. These are called secondary sources. Significance These can give you facts. But facts aren’t enough. Why did events happen as they did? Why are they significant? History needs interpretation. If we go back to our classroom story, how might we add interpretation? Significance You could explain